It is well known in the art to provide a method of temporarily installing a door with a vehicle. However, such methods are normally effected by the installation of a clip with the hinge pin of the vehicle hinge to allow for removal of the clip and for separation of the door from the vehicle. For example, Honda has provided a vehicle having a hinge which has a door half and a body half. The door half and the body half are joined by a pin having a head and a tail. The head has vertically extending alternating grooves and ridges located adjacent a larger diameter shank than the shank located proximate the tail of the hinge pin. This hinge pin has located near the tail thereof two fairly deep grooves which extend about the circumference of the narrow diameter shank of the tail of the pin. A clip having a generally C-shape is provided which has an extension provided therewith accessible by a tool. The hinge half and door half are connected together thereby connecting the door with the vehicle temporarily, by clipping the generally C-shaped clip into the groove closest to tail end of the pin. By doing this, the alternating grooves and ridges do not bite into any metal portions extending about the hinge pin opening of the body half and therefore the hinge pin is not secured in its final position. Reference to FIG. 2 is made in this regard.
Once the vehicle body and doors are painted the generally C-shaped clip is removed to allow for the separation of the door half and the body half of the hinge. This clip and the removal thereof is quite time consuming as it is often coated in paint and difficult to remove and results in the permanent discard of the generally C-shaped clip.
Other methods have been contemplated as well. For example, Honda also has an apparatus for temporarily installing, and a method for temporarily separating a door, wherein one half of the hinge has provided therewith a bracket which contains the final metal ring fastening clip therewith. This fastening clip is driven by the insertion of the hinge pin into its final position, substantially as described and taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,163, which specifically claims the inclusion of the hinge pin (as best seen in relation to FIG. 5 thereof) with the door half of a hinge assembly when shipped.
Other examples of methods are found in the following references.
A fastener is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,504 at FIG. 30 which has essentially a truncated cone and a groove with the driving head at one end. U.K. Patent Application 2,055,958 also shows a similar type of fastener in FIG. 3a thereof.
Great Britain Patent Specification 1,295,023 published on Nov. 1, 1972, and referring to FIG. 8 thereof, there is disclosed a hinge pin which utilizes a groove at one end and head at the other, which is retained in position with a substantially C-shaped clip.
Great Britain Patent Specification 1,486,013 published Sep. 14, 1977 describes a barrel hinge having a pin which is fastened with the use of a groove with the retainer being a split ring.
Great Britain Patent Specification 1,128,015 published Sep. 25, 1968 teaches a pivot assembly which includes at one end a C-shaped retainer clip washer 15 which fits into a groove on the pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,175,550, issued Mar. 14, 1916, shows a single grooved pin with a retaining member as best seen in FIG. 4 which clamps under the shoulder 10d of FIG. 2 to retain the pin in its assembled position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,246,359, issued Jun. 17, 1941, describes a link for engaging a groove in a pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,508, issued Dec. 18, 1962, includes an expanded portion near the head and a double grooved portion near the tail which has a broaching tool for use when inserted with the hinge.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,599, to Mullins Manufacturing Company, shows a hinge assembly, and specifically in FIG. 7 thereof a modified form of the pin used with the hinge which includes two grooves 128 and 132. Groove 128 is the desired location for retaining portion 130 of the sleeve, but should the manufacturing tolerances require, the supplementary position defined by groove 132 can be adopted during assembly as an alternate to the preferred groove 128. Therefore this reference teaches the use of a pin with a tapered end and having an expanded end near the head and two grooves near the tail or nose for use in a hinge. This patent was issued Oct. 23, 1973.
As seen in FIG. 11 of Honda's U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,148 there is shown a hinge pin with a single groove. The patent refers to a method and apparatus for feeding and installing hinge pins, by which a door will be coupled.
Nowhere within the prior art is there provided a method for temporarily fastening a door half and a body half of a hinge together, utilizing a flexible ring, which remains flexible at ambient temperatures, but in one embodiment becomes brittle once exposed to the heat typically found in a drying process following the painting of a vehicle. In another embodiment the retainer remains flexible for ease of use. The retainer ring is designed to provide ease of removal when subsequently separating the door from the vehicle.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a method and hinge which is more simpler to utilize.
It is also an object of the invention to improve the design of hinge pins and retainers in combination.
Further and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and a more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.